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In:Processability and Language Acquisition in the Asia-Pacific Region
Edited by Satomi Kawaguchi, Bruno Di Biase and Yumiko Yamaguchi
[Processability Approaches to Language Acquisition Research & Teaching 9] 2023
► pp. 63–90

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Chapter 3
The development of lexical mapping in Chinese L2

The mapping of multiple arguments, passive and causative structures

 | Australian National University
 | Western Sydney University
 | Western Sydney University
Published online: 2 February 2023
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https://doi.org/10.1075/palart.9.03liu
Abstract
This study tests the applicability of the Lexical Mapping Hypothesis (LMH) to the L2 acquisition of Chinese syntax within a Processability Theory framework. The LMH makes testable predictions for L2 acquisition based on the mapping between argument-structure and functional-structure. Empirical evidence from typologically diverse languages for the LMH is not robust as yet and does not include any L2 Chinese empirical study so far. This study ventures to fill the gap by testing the LMH for the acquisition of Chinese L2. Data for this investigation comes from a one-year longitudinal study on the oral production by three adult beginning learners of L2 Chinese in a Chinese university. Results show that the observed acquisition sequence of the investigated structures was consistent with the hypothesized LMT-based processing hierarchy applied to Chinese L2. This study contributes empirical evidence for the LMH, and supports the hypothesized intermediate stage, i.e., ‘default mapping and additional argument’.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review on the acquisition of Chinese
  • 3.The Lexical Mapping Hypothesis and L2 Chinese syntax
    • 3.1The Lexical Mapping Hypothesis
    • 3.2L2 Chinese syntax
  • 4.The study
    • 4.1Informants and data collection
    • 4.2Data analysis
  • 5.Results and discussion
    • 5.1Default mapping
      • Default mapping and additional arguments
    • 5.2Nondefault mapping
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
  • Appendix
References (44)
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